Railway-switch.



A. LEPEB'VRE. RAILWAY SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED DEG. 12, 1910.

Patented Dec. 2, 1913.

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RAILWAY-SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2,1913.

Application filed December 12, 1910. Serial No. 596,920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALDERIo LEFEBVRE, of the city of Montreal, in the Province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This inventionrelates to improvements in railway switches and is particularly adapted for use on street railways where the switches are constantly changed, generally by the motorman.

The main object of the invention is to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive switch operating mechanism which will not be rendered inoperative by weather conditions or street dirt.

A further object is to provide a switch operating mechanism controlled by the mo torman from the car and operated by the motion of the car.

A still further, and very important object, is to provide a single member having a single movement by means of which the device may be actuated to throw the switch either open or closed. i

Another object is to provide a switch which may be run through from the heel whether open or closed, and which will return to its original position when released.

To accomplish these objects, I provide a reciprocating member fixed to the switch and operated from a crank shaft by means of a link. The crank shaft is rotated by means of a car operated rack engaging a gear thereon.

In the drawings which illustrate this invention:Figure 1 is a plan view of a section of track showing the respective positions of the parts. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view showing the casings cut away to expose the mechanism. Fig. 3 is a vertical section partly in elevation on the line 67 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the left hand portion of Fig. 2, with the casing in section. Fig. 5 is a transverse section approximately on the line 8-9 of Fig. 1, and shows the operation of the device by the car.

In the drawings, 10 designates the main line rails, 11 the siding rails, and 12 the switch. A suitably shaped casing 13 is embedded in the roadway between the rails and preferably abutting the guard rail, 14, of the switch. The switch throwing member consists of a rectangular ring 15, slidably mounted in a guide 16 integral with the easing, and a bar 17 fixed at one end to the switch and passing longitudinally through the ring 15, the bar being slidably mounted in the ring. Within the aperture of the ring, a block 18 is fixed to the bar 17 and at each end of the block is a helical spring 19 surrounding the bar 17, and compressed between the end of the ring and the block, see Fig. 8. These springs 19 being of equal strength and length and slightly under compression, will hold the ring and bar normally as rigid as if they were integral. At one side of the switch throw member and as close as possible to the rail, a short crank shaft 20 is journaled in the casing and is connected to the end of the ring 15 remote from the rail by a strong link or connecting rod 21. The throw of the crank shaft is such that the stroke imparted to the switch throwing member at each half revolution of the shaft is equal to the throw of the switch. The upper end of the shaft 20 which projects through the casing top is broached out square, as at 22, in order that the switch may be manually operated by a suitable key, either by a regular switch tender or by the motorman of a car, if some part of the device is out of order.

Fixed near the upper end of the shaft 20, 1s a gear or ratchet wheel 23 which is engaged by a spring pressed pawl 24. The gear 23 is rotated by means of a toothed rack 25 formed on a reciprocatable bar 26 located parallel with the main track and as close to the split rail thereof as possible. This bar 26 extends some distance in front of the switch and then enters a casing 27 embedded in the road. The end of the bar 26 remote from the switch is bifurcated and a trigger member 28 pivoted between the bifurcations at the extreme end of the bar. The trigger 28 extends toward the switch and is provided at the free end with an upwardly extending lug 29, which passes through a slot 30 in the top of the casing 27 and projects a short distance above same. One end of a helical spring 31 is attached to the pivoted end of the trigger and at the other end at any suitable point. A portion 32 of the bottom of the casing is formed on an incline in order that the trigger may be depressed at this point to bring the lug 29 thereof below the top of the casing 27 It will be noticed. in Fig. 1 that the casing top is provlided with an extension 33 in front of the s 0t 30.

The casing 27 is provided with an arm 34 projecting under the track rail and contain- I ing a latch 35 pivoted at one end at 36, and at the opposite end engaging a notch or re cess 37 formed in the under side of the bar. A short helical spring 38 is provided under the latch to hold the same in engagement with the bar 26. A trip lever 39 is pivoted (not shown) some distance away from the casing 27 and extends toward the same, entering the arm 34 thereof and overlying the latch. The trip lever is on the opposite or outer side of the track rail from the bar 26 and lies parallel to and preferably in engagement'with the rail. The upper edge of the trip lever normally projects above the rail tread so as to be depressed by the wheels of a car.

A guide 40 is provided within the casing 13 to keep the rack portion of the bar in line with the wheel 23. Adjacent the side of the casing, a rectangular ring 41 is placed around the bar 26, said ring being freely movable transversely of the bar. A post 42 is fixed to the ring 41and passes through a pair of lugs 43 projecting from the casing. A collar 44 is fixed to said post and a small helical spring 45 compressed between said collar and one of the lugs 43. This spring draws on the ring 41 and holds the rack in engagement with the gear 23, but will allow the'rack to be retracted by the spring 31.

The only special car equipment required to operate this switch is a' depressible arm for engaging the trigger. The preferred form of this arm is shown in Fig. 5. A strong bar 46 is mounted under the car in a suitable bracket 47 in which it is vertically slidable, the bar being positioned to engage the trigger 28 when depressed. The upper extremity of the bar 46 is pivoted to a pedal lever 48 intermediate the ends thereof. One end of the pedal lever 48 is pivoted to the car and the other end carries a pedal 49, located conveniently to the motormans foot. A spring 50 on the pedal serves to keep the arm 46 elevated when not in use.

The operation of the device is extremely simple. When the motorman wishes to throw the switch either way, he simply presses the pedal 49, as the car approaches the switch, and the arm 49 is depressed until it rests on some partof the plate 33al0ng which it slides into engagement with the projecting lug 29 of the trigger 28. The purpose of the plate 33 is to allow the motorman to depress the arm 46 before coming to the trigger without danger of having the same catch on roughened pavement. The arm 46 is so positioned under the car that shortly before it engages the trigger the front wheel of the car will run over the trip lever 39 and depress same, thus depressing and disengaging the latch from the bar 26 so that the bar is free to reciprocate.

The moving car thus carries the trigger along with it, the lug traveling in the slot 30. The trigger is attached to the bar 26 and carries the same along with it, the teeth of the bar engaging and rotating the gear 23 and crank shaft carrying same. The crank shaft reciprocates the switch throw member by means of the link 21 and the switch is thus thrown to one side or the other. It will be obvious from Fig. 2, that only one half of one revolution of the shaf Will be required to throw the switch. As the bar 26 approaches the end of its allotted stroke, the trigger gradually sinks into the recess 32 in the bottom of the casing until, at the moment the half revolution of the shaft is completed, the trigger disengages from the car arm 46 and releases the bar 26. This disengagement is effected by slightly beveling the engaging face of the trigger lug 29, as seen in Fig. 4, and making the car arm 46 of such width that it cannot enter the slot 30 and follow the trigger. lVhen the bar 26 is released, the spring 31 draws it back into its original position, the spring 45 yielding to allow the teeth of the rack to pass the gear teeth, and the pawl 24 holding the gear against revolution in a reverse direction. lVhen the car wheels release the trip lever 39, the spring 38 under the latch returns the latch and trip lever to their original positions.

In assembling the device, the shaft is arranged so that it will stop on centers after each throw of the switch in order that, when a car is run through from the heel of the switch, the tension of the springs 19 will not cause the shaft to be rotated and thus throw the device out of adjustment. In running through from the heel of the switch, the wheel flanges force the switch 12 to one side or the other against the tension of one or other of the springs 19. In this way only the bar 17 moves while the ring 15, which is rigidly connected to the remainder of the device, remains stationary. When the car has passed, the compressed spring returns the switch to its original position.

The projecting lug of the trigger is not sufficiently large to interfere with traffic in any way and should a heavy vehicle strike the same it would not affect the switch, as the bar 26 is locked against reciprocation by the latch 35. Vehicles passing over and depressing the trip lever will in no way affect the switch as this lever and the trigger are so positioned that no vehicle can operate both simultaneously.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that there is only one member for the motorman to operate and that such member is a pedal, thus leaving both hands free to operate the car. It will also be seen that the movement of such member is always the same whether the switch is thrown open or closed, thus eliminating any loss of time or liability of error in selecting the proper member or adjustment. The operating mechanism is automatically unlocked by every car that passes over the trip lever so that the motorman has only the same duties as at present.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination with a switch, of a switch throwing member fixed thereto, a crank shaft, a link connecting the crank shaft and switch throwing member, rack and pinion mechanism rotating said crank shaft in one direction, a trigger pivoted to said mechanism transmitting the motion of the car to the mechanism, means normally holding said trigger rigid with the rack and pinion mechanism, and means for automatically releasing said trigger from the car.

2. The combination with a switch, of a switch throwing member fixed thereto, a crank shaft, a link connecting the crank shaft and switch throwing member, a ratchet Copies 01' this patent may be obtained for wheel fixed to said shaft, a car actuated rack bar meshing with the ratchet wheel, a car operated lever for automatically unlocking the rack bar, and means for automatically releasing the rack bar.

3. The combination with a switch and a car, of a yieldable switch throwing member fixed to the switch, mechanism for operating said switch throwing member, a depressible arm carried by the car, a trigger pivoted to the operating mechanism in the path of said depressible arm, means for disengaging said trigger from the depressible arm to release the operating mechanism at a predetermined point, and a lever operated by the wheels of the car for automatically unlocking the operating mechanism.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

ALDERIC LEFEBVRE.

Witnesses:

G. W. TAYLOR, E. R. MCKENZIE.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

